Meeting topic: Shaping SDC’s future

Members of the Sonoma Developmental Center Coalition believe that the best hope for “saving” the Center is not to fight for the status quo, but to develop an entirely new vision for how the facility can serve a host of community needs and still provide... Continue

Earth Day Sonoma Valley style

April 22 is Earth Day, which celebrates the Earth's natural environs and helps us humans reflect on ways that we impact the environment. Sonoma Valley is no stranger to the ecology movement and we tend to pride ourselves on being locavores (eating food grown within 100 miles from where... Continue

Food + Drink Bites for April 16

The latest food + drink news, events and calls for your participation in and around Sonoma Valley. As the legendary James Marshall Berry says... "If your gig isn't in my column, you didn't tell me about it." Send your news to our Food + Drink... Continue

Whole Foods tops “worst prices” grocery store list for 2015

[caption id="attachment_49047" align="alignnone" width="455"] Whole Foods is the most expensive of all chains, but customers love their selection of pre-made food (Facebook)[/caption] Consumer Reports released the results of their latest supermarket survey - what supermarkets have the best and worst prices? They surveyed over 62,000 readers... Continue

VOM Water District sets conservation rules

Limiting irrigation to three days a week and water served only by request in restaurants are among the rules issued by the Valley of the Moon Water District (VOMWD) in an effort to cut overall water use by 20 percent less compared to 2013. VOMWD’s... Continue

School District honors

Four “awesome educators” and a local school have received prestigious honors an recognition, said a proud Louann Carlomagno, superintendent of the Sonoma Valley Unified School District Nominees for the 2015 Classified School Employee of the Year, coordinated by the California Department of Education, include: Cyndi Potter... Continue

Food + Drink Bites for April 9, 2015

Happy National Beer Day!

Happy National Beer Day! Each year, beer enthusiasts toast a pint to the end of Prohibition, which ended today. I suppose they could rename this "National Booze Day," but, beer will suffice! A rainy day in Sonoma is a perfect excuse to relax in a local... Continue

Envies ‘victory’ over short-term rentals

Congratulations to the residents of Sonoma! You will not be forced to do without sleep, peace, or a sense of safety, as is the case up here in Glen Ellen. Our population has declined by more than 20% (2000-2010 Census), our community group, the Glen... Continue

Whither SDC?

In a public meeting about the future of the Sonoma Developmental Center, it seemed clear to the hundreds present, including elected state and county officials, that SDC’s closure would be a tragic political failure. Bills have been introduced in the legislature that would close it... Continue